About Us

The Government published the new Urban Renewal Strategy (“URS”) in February 2011, following an extensive public consultation exercise that had lasted for more than two years. The new URS calls for active promotion of the adoption of a “People First, District-based, Public Participatory” approach at the urban renewal planning stage, and embraces the new proposal of setting up a District Urban Renewal Forum (“DURF”) in old urban districts to strengthen urban renewal planning at the district level.

In coming up with holistic and integrated urban renewal initiatives, DURF will discharge the following functions:

To advise the Government through the Secretary for Development on urban renewal plans within the relevant area from a holistic and integrated perspective, having regard to the Urban Renewal Strategy promulgated in 2011, including advice on redevelopment and rehabilitation areas in tandem with the Urban Renewal Authority’s core business, plus preservation and revitalization initiatives contributing to a quality city environment;
To conduct and oversee, with funding support from the Urban Renewal Trust Fund, broad-based public engagement exercises, planning studies, social impact assessments and other related studies, in the process;
To monitor progress of implementation of the identified redevelopment, rehabilitation, preservation and revitalization projects to be taken forward; and
To assume a public education role through an outreach programme to all the relevant stakeholders with a view to fostering district partnership in urban renewal work

To ensure that urban renewal is undertaken in a more systematic way with regard to local characteristics and aspirations and community interests at large, each DURF will be chaired by a professional familiar with urban renewal issues and its members will be drawn from a wide cross-section in the local community including District Council/Area Committee Members, representatives from established non-governmental organizations/groups/ business associations in the district, and representatives of relevant government bureaux/departments and the Urban Renewal Authority (“URA”), etc. The Planning Department will provide secretariat and professional support to DURF.

In June 2011, the Government has established the first pilot DURF in Kowloon City, which has a large number of dilapidated buildings but involves only a few URA redevelopment projects. The Kowloon City DURF will provide pioneering experiences that would help enhance the Government’s urban renewal initiatives and planning, and review the effectiveness of such initiatives in future.